Public Apology
We recommend that the Northern Ireland Executive and those who were responsible for each of the institutions investigated by the Inquiry where we found systemic failings should make a public apology. The apology should be a wholehearted and unconditional recognition that they failed to protect children from abuse that could and should have been prevented or detected. We also recommend that this should be done on a single occasion at a suitable venue.
- The apology was described as a wholehearted and unconditional recognition that institutions failed to protect children in their care (Northern Ireland Executive Public Apology, 11 March 2022).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedNo formal government response published.
Progress Timeline
On 11 March 2022, in the Assembly Chamber of Parliament Buildings, Ministers Michelle McIlveen, Conor Murphy, Nichola Mallon, Robin Swann and Naomi Long delivered an apology on behalf of the Northern Ireland government to victims and survivors. Apologies were also provided by the institutions where systemic failings were found. The apology acknowledged the systemic failings and abuse documented in the Hart Report, accepting responsibility and expressing regret, in line with the five elements requested by survivors.
Published Evidence
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On 11 March 2022, Ministers from the five main political parties in Northern Ireland and six abusing institutions delivered formal apologies in the Northern Ireland Assembly to victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse.
View detailed findings
Ministers Michelle McIlveen, Conor Murphy, Nichola Mallon, Robin Swann and Naomi Long delivered apologies on behalf of the Northern Ireland government. Six institutions also apologised: De La Salle Brothers, Sisters of Nazareth, Sisters of St. Louis, Good Shepherd Sisters, Barnardo's, and Irish Church Missions. Approximately 80 survivors attended in the Assembly chamber.